When someone agrees to drive you hundreds of kilometres home, most would probably offer to chip in for petrol, tolls or at least buy them a meal as a small gesture of appreciation.
But for one Malaysian woman, a 10-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur to Kelantan ended with her passenger handing her just RM5, leaving her questioning whether the favour was appreciated at all.
Drove 10 hours from KL to Kelantan
Sharing her experience on Threads, the woman recalled how she once agreed to drive a friend back from Kuala Lumpur to Kelantan.
She said the two were not particularly close, but she still went out of her way to pick the friend up from her apartment before beginning the long journey, reported mStar.
What made the trip more exhausting was that she had to do all the driving herself for around 10 hours.
However, after completing the journey, her friend reportedly handed her just RM5.
I was the only one driving for 10 hours and my friend handed me RM5. I felt so unappreciated as both the driver and car owner.”
The woman said she still took the money as she was tired and caught off guard at the time.
She added that they had known each other for years, making the gesture even more surprising to her.
‘It’s about manners and common sense’
The experience apparently left a lasting impression on her.
According to the woman, she has since stopped casually offering rides to others and now only does so for people she is genuinely close to and trusts.
I don’t like this feeling. We try to do something nice but people take advantage of it. Since that incident, I don’t simply give people rides anymore.”
She stressed that her frustration was not solely about the RM5 itself.
Instead, she believed it came down to basic courtesy and acknowledging the time, energy and expenses involved in driving such a long distance.
It’s not about the amount of money, but manners and common sense.”
Other Malaysians could relate
Her Threads post gained more than 240 comments, with several netizens sharing similar experiences of their own.
One commenter claimed that even close friends could sometimes behave the same way, expecting the driver to pick everyone up while also covering toll and parking fees.
Another said they had once been asked to drive a friend from Cyberjaya to Shah Alam without being offered a single sen for the journey.
The discussion soon turned into a debate over the etiquette of hitching rides with friends, especially for longer journeys where petrol, tolls and the driver’s effort can quickly add up.
While not everyone may expect passengers to split every expense equally, many appeared to agree that offering something in return is a simple way of showing appreciation.
